WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden has unveiled a new series of initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence in the United States.

The Biden administration will, among other things, crack down on illegal gun trafficking, assist prosecutors in prosecuting those who use "ghost guns" -- undesialized and untraceable firearms -- to commit crimes, and prosecute illegal gun vendors, according to the White House.

On Thursday afternoon, Biden paid a visit to New York City, where he asked for increased financing for community police and law enforcement organisations.

"The answer is not to leave our streets," the President remarked at a press conference at the New York Police Department's headquarters in Lower Manhattan.  "The solution is not to defund the police.... It is to provide you with the skills, training, and resources you need to be partners and protectors." US Attorney General Merrick Garland, as well as Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, accompanied Biden on the trip.

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